These 3 Money-Saving Travel Hacks Are Myths — Here’s What To Do Instead

Are you already planning your travel destinations and big vacations for 2025? If so, chances are you are scouring the internet for tricks and hacks that will save you money on your trip.

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Here’s the bad news: Lots of these frugal travel tips are myths, not actually keeping you on budget.

The good news is that travel experts have a few pieces of actually useful advice for what to do instead of following not-so-thrifty hacks.

3. Search for Flights Online Using Private Incognito Mode

A common travel tip people have been following for years is that you should search for flights in private Incognito mode and clear your browser cookies to see the lowest fares, according to Mercedes Zach, a travel expert at Asaptickets, part of Trevolution Group.

“This approach comes from the belief that airlines are using browser cookies to track your searches and will show you higher prices if you do several searches for a particular destination within a short period of time,” Zach explained.

From Zach’s professional experience, airfare pricing is dynamic and constantly fluctuates and Incognito mode has no impact on it.

“If you see that the price for your desired flight has gone up a few hours later, it’s not because the airline was tracking you but because the prices change all the time,” Zach continued.

“Therefore, it’s best to set up fare alerts on Google Flights to get instant notifications for price changes on flights you have been looking to book.”

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2. “Skiplagging”

Also known as “hidden city ticketing,” when people schedule their flights with layovers, then intentionally leave the layover prior to the flight’s final destination.

“Despite skiplagging being technically legal, it is a violation of the terms and conditions most airlines make you agree to before purchasing a ticket, which can result in lifetime bans, lost miles and even cancellation of the return flights, so I would personally not recommend taking the risk and suggest skipping this so-called travel hack at all,” Zach warned.

“Instead, I recommend trying out a new travel trend [and/or] hack that has emerged called ‘reverse trip planning,’ where vacationers don’t focus on a destination but rather build their trip around the cheapest flights available from their departure airport. And only after that they decide on the travel dates and things to do in the country of visit.”

He continued, “That offers vacationers more flexibility and allows them to save on airfare that tends to get expensive around specific dates and especially during the busy summer months. Plus, this approach also gives you a chance to visit less popular destinations that are typically harder to reach or that you wouldn’t even consider going to.”

1. Always Use Your Credit Card for Travel

“Paying with your credit card whenever possible might seem like a more convenient option,” commented Zach. “However, keep in mind that depending on the card you use, most credit cards will also add on about 2.5% as an automatic currency conversion fee, known as a foreign exchange fee.”

Zach advised that travelers pay in local currency regardless of their destinations. Airport currency exchange counters are often very overpriced and charge hidden commissions.

The travel expert suggested that bringing the “right” currency from back home or going to a local currency exchange counter in town instead will end up being a lot cheaper for travelers.

“An international travel credit card with free foreign exchange is one of the ways to cut these fees, and additionally, be sure to pay in the local currency, as selecting your home currency usually entails even bigger charges,” explained Zach.

“Likewise, bear in mind that hidden currency conversion fees also apply to ATM withdrawals taken off the top of your transaction as a percentage. Thus, when using foreign ATMs, make sure they’re bank-affiliated. Private ATMs usually add an extra hidden fee on top of the currency conversion fee.”

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: These 3 Money-Saving Travel Hacks Are Myths — Here’s What To Do Instead